AHA Heart Heroes Award

AHA Heart Heroes Award
Posted on 10/02/2019

HMS Teachers & Hillsborough Rescue Squad Honored by American Heart Association

The American Heart Association recently recognized twenty-six individuals and organizations in New Jersey, including Regina Kay and Melissa Pursell from Hillsborough Middle School along with the Hillsborough Rescue Squad Training Center, for their life-saving efforts. The American Heart Association Heart and Stroke Heroes Awards is held annually to commend individuals, organizations and schools throughout the Garden State for taking extraordinary steps to strengthen the American Heart Association Chain of Survival or for rescue efforts that saved a life of someone experiencing a cardiac or stroke emergency.




https://safeYouTube.net/w/2hnu

 

Ms. Kay and Ms. Pursell who are AHA instructors have been teaching Hands-only CPR training to 7th graders as part of their health classes in school.  For the past two years, they have added the more extensive CPR/AED training after school.  To date, over 250 middle school students have taken advantage of the afterschool program and have received their Heartsaver cards.  The teachers secured funding from the HMS Home and School Association for additional manikins and AED simulators to help serve more students.  This program is part of a coordinated partnership with the Hillsborough Rescue Squad Training Center that has provided Heartsaver CPR training to over 600 students annually at Hillsborough High School as part of their junior year health class.  The squad also provided mini-Annie manikins to HMS for the hands-only CPR training in 7th grade health.  


Heart Heroes Award

Pictured:  HMS Health Teachers Ms. Melissa Pursell & Ms. Regina Kay along with Mr. Bill Greenhalgh of the Hillsborough Rescue Squad Training Center.


Nearly 350,000 people suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year. Given immediately, CPR doubles or triples survival rates.   The American Heartsaver Recognition Program is an initiative supporting the American Heart Association’s efforts to strengthen the Chain of Survival in our communities as part of their mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.